There are
many forms of Buddhism in America today: Zen,
Tibetan Buddhism, Thai Buddhism, etc.
Together, they form a rich mandala, which we
call American Buddhism. The particular type
of American Buddhism presented in this
website is based on the teachings of Rama -
Dr. Frederick P. Lenz. It is a
combination of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism,
Kundalini Yoga, and Original Zen as adapted
to contemporary American society.

Dr. Frederick
Lenz began teaching Buddhist meditation in
his early twenties. Throughout his life, his
goal was to transmit the essence of Buddhism
so that Western practitioners could achieve
the highest state of Buddhist realization –
Enlightenment.

Dr. Lenz
wrote a number of popular books about
Buddhist teachings including: Lifetimes,
True Accounts of Reincarnation (1979), Total
Relaxation: The Complete Program for
Overcoming Worry, Stress, Tension and
Fatigue (1980), Surfing the Himalayas
(1995), Snowboarding to Nirvana (1997), and
others.

Working with
the music group Zazen, he co-wrote and produced 14
musical albums including; Canyons of Light,
Enlightenment, Cayman Blue, and Ecologie.
All of the albums featured music geared
towards facilitating the practice of
meditation.

Frederick
Lenz passed away on April 12, 1998 in Long
Island, New York and willed the majority of
his estate to the formation of the Frederick
Lenz Foundation for the purpose of
supporting Buddhism in America.

The
Foundation is dedicated to promoting the
benefits of Zen Buddhism, meditation, yoga
and related Buddhist practices as a pathway
to self-realization and the harmonious
blending of the material and spiritual in
contemporary American society. The
Foundation encourages the study and practice
of these disciplines so that Americans with
a Western mind set may come to appreciate
these ancient gifts of Eastern thought, and
utilize them in a way that is relevant to
American culture and values. For more
information on the foundation, please go to:
www.fredericklenzfoundation.org.

Buddhism is a
way is life, and we practice it. People can
learn how to practice by watching,
observing, listening, and becoming
sensitive. However, I think Buddhism is
something that life teaches us. There are
teachers when they are necessary, but life
is the real teacher – always remember that.

Buddhism is
the enlightenment cycle, and there are
different types of it. Principally there is
long path and short path Buddhism. The long
path is more of the religious aspect - that
is to say the church aspect. The practice of
reading sutras, healthy ways of living,
things like that. These are mainly the
Mahayana and Hinayana paths of Buddhism.

The esoteric
aspect of Buddhism is meditation. Rama - Dr.
Frederick Lenz was teacher of Vajrayana
Buddhism primarily, which is the short path
of Buddhism.

American
Buddhism, as defined by Rama, is the
practice of meditation and mindfulness. In
meditation, we sit quietly and concentrate
on the different chakras or energy centers.
In mindfulness, we use all of the
experiences in life to improve our
consciousness. Our careers, the books we
read, the movies we watch, are all used as
elements in our practice. Our life becomes
our teacher, and it empowers us.

Historically,
Buddhism started in the 6th or 5th century
BCE when a man called Siddhartha Gautama
attained “Enlightenment”. Buddha means the
Enlightened One. After his Enlightenment,
Buddha realized the Four Noble Truths.

There is
suffering.

Suffering comes from
attachment.

We can let go of attachment
and suffering by going into Nirvana.

This
can be reached by following the eight-fold
path.

The
eight-fold path includes:

Right
understanding

Right directed thought

Right speech

Right action

Right
livelihood

Right effort

Right
mindfulness

Right concentration

Buddha
believed in the middle path. There is a
wonderful scene in the movie “The Little
Buddha” where Siddhartha in sitting in
meditation under a tree near the river. A
music teacher and his student come by in a
boat. The teacher is fine-tuning a string
instrument and says to him, “If the string
is too tight, it will break. If the string
is too loose, it will not play.” At that
moment, Siddhartha has an epiphany and
realizes that life in better spent in the
middle path instead of going into extremes.
He abandons the idea of living a life as an
ascetic and embraces life in a new way.

After the
Buddha’s Enlightenment and many years of
teaching, Buddhism moves from northern India
into other areas of the world, always
adapting to the land and culture of the
time. Buddhism has manifested into different
forms. In Japan, it became Zen Buddhism, in
some parts of China, Buddhism merged with
Taoism.

In Tibet,
Tantric Buddhism arose in the 6th century
CE. Tantric Buddhism, which is called
Vajrayana, tries to realize the continuous
connection between all human states and
conditions. In Vajrayana, we believe that
everything has Buddha-nature, and therefore
every experience in life can be used to
bring us closer to Enlightenment.

Guru
Padmasambhava established Buddhism in Tibet
in the mid 8th century. He was a
practitioner of Tantra, and he is known as
the second Buddha. Padmasambhava was an
Indian teacher who brought the complete
teachings of Buddhadharma to Tibet.
Padmasambhava was ordained by Ananda who was
the closest disciple of the Buddha, but the
teachings of Padmasambhava were a little
different from the Buddha.

The Buddha
created a path that would be easy for
everyone to follow. He outlined a simple
practice that was based on compassion and
understanding.

Padmasambhava’s emphasis was on energy
management and meditation. He believed that
all phenomenal existence was merely the
manifestation of the mind. He believed that
through the practice of meditation, we could
learn to create new realities within our
minds, so that they may be manifested into
reality.

Buddhism is
about becoming enlightened. The essential
premise in Buddhism is that there is
Enlightenment. There is nirvana. Beyond this
world, there is something radiant and
eternal. It created this world and at the
same that it is beyond it. We call it
Nirvana. You call it anything you want to –
God, the Eternal Reality, the Higher Power,
the Source, the names do not matter. It is
the Eternal Reality that is beyond words.

Buddhism is
the practice of joining your mind with that
Eternal Reality, and at the same time,
viewing this world as part of that reality.
Buddhism is about living a grounded, happy,
fun life, being energized, and being good
about everything that you do, and getting
better all the time. It is about utilizing
the whole power of your mind, body and
spirit to enjoy life, and experience all of
its sides.

The essential
practice in Buddhism is meditation.
Meditation is a process in which you stop
your thoughts and learn to merge with the
light of Enlightenment. As you make progress
in your practice, you transform yourself,
and you will be able to transcend your
limitations, fears, and pain.

When you
practice Buddhism, your life gets better
every day. It does not mean that bad things
will not happen to you, but you will be able
to see life in a different light. After all,
life is an adventure.

If you are
practicing correctly, the true test is that
you will like your life, and you will feel
better about yourself. You will be able to
see a gradual improvement in the states of
mind you experience.

The best way
to learn Buddhism is with the help of a
teacher. A good teacher is someone who is
more advanced than you are, someone who can
explain different types of yoga, how to
conserve energy, and all kinds of valuable
techniques. At the same time, they should
inspire you and empower you with mediation
so you can gain spiritual insights.

Learning the
practice is like going to college. If you
are going to college and you get a
scholarship you can progress much faster
because you can put all of your time into
school without having to spend time on a
part-time job. That way you can focus all of
your energy on school. Empowerments from a
teacher are designed to aid the student of
meditation, to help them focus more on their
practice, and less on other types of
distractions.

Now there are
good teachers and bad teachers. A good
teacher will inspire you, and teach you how
to think for yourself. A bad teacher will
tell you how to live your life and not
inspire you.

A good
teacher will transfer power, knowledge, and
heart by inspiring you to meditate and to
seek Enlightenment. This newfound power
should always be used to improve life, and
never to hurt others. Buddhism is a practice
in which we learn to avoid injuring others
and ourselves. We learn to respond to
difficult situations with a sense of calm
and balance. We learn that we have lived
before and we will always live in one form
or another. You get to experience that in
meditation – this knowledge will come to
you. You will also gain a new appreciation
for the beauty of life.

Buddhism is a
very comprehensive way of looking at life
and energy. Over the centuries, ways of
saving energy have been developed by
Buddhists. These methods are the essence of
Buddhism. Energy conservation is a very
important part of the practice. We only have
so much energy, and in order to reach higher
levels of mind, we need energy.

Energy comes
from various sources:

Releasing
the kundalini through the practice of
meditation

Empowerments from enlightened
teachers

Traveling to power places where
the Earth vibrates faster

Doing happy
things

Being successful

Overcoming
obstacles

Exercise

Eating certain types
of foods that have more energy than others

Spending time with positive people

You gain or
loose energy in your relationships with
other people. If you spend time with people
who make you feel bad, your energy is being
drained. If you spend time with people who
inspire you, you will have a good time and
you will feel fine afterwards.

Buddhism is
not a singular way, it is a compilation of
ways, and it changes. Buddhism does not have
a start or an end. It does not start with
Gautama Buddha who is the most famous
Buddha. Buddha means the Enlightened One.
There have been many enlightened beings
before and after Gautama Buddha.

We can say
that the practice of meditation and Buddhism
started when a person realized that they
could still their thoughts and experienced
eternity. The ancient Egyptians had a method
of meditation, and their practice of
meditation dated back in time to even
earlier civilization.

Buddhism is
the study of continuation. It is the
practice of meditation. It is a body of ways
and traditions, which help a person to
experience enlightened states of mind.

The central
point of all Buddhism is the practice of
meditation. Meditation is about quieting the
mind and making the mind still. Thoughts are
like a curtain that separates you from
reality. When they become still, suddenly
you can see eternity.

The practice
of meditation is something that you learn a
little bit each time you meditate. You need
to make your mind calm, quiet, and still.
When your thoughts are quiet, you allow your
inner light to take over and purify you.
It’s like taking a shower, it washes away
the dirt and makes you clean. It energizes
you. Each time you meditate, you are on the
pathway to enlightenment. You are a mental
traveler on a journey, which we call life.

One of the
central premises in Buddhism is happiness.
Happiness is not really something you gain
in the world. People try to become happy
through their careers, their relationships,
their material possessions. In reality only
a certain amount of happiness can be gained
from those things. Happiness comes from
within your self. If you sit down in the
morning and meditate, you will experience
more and more happiness, and you will gain
better balance over your life.

Meditation is
an experience - an awareness - a way of
perceiving, and a way of life. Our lives are
dependent upon perception. How we see the
world affects our mental states. If we see
the world as dull and boring, then that is
how the world is going to be.

In the
practice of meditation, we learn to
experience life in new ways. Meditation is
the awakening of our inner energy and the
discovery of self-understanding.

How do we
meditate? First, we have to set up a time to
meditate. Once you choose a time, you must
stick to your schedule. The best time to
meditate is in the morning after you have
taken a shower.

According to
the Dalai Lama, “Meditating in the morning
gives you a good mental state that will
positively affect your whole day.”

It is also
necessary to set the right environment or
mood. For example, wear comfortable
clothing, nothing that restricts you or
makes you feel uncomfortable. Choose a
location, and set up a meditation table. It
is a good idea to select a good spot in your
house where you will be able to meditate
every day. By creating a permanent
meditation area, you create an energy
circle, which will help you to focus.
Personalize your meditation area. For
instance, place a rug in front of your
table, sit on a pillow, burn incense, or
place flowers on a table.

Once you have
a meditation table, you can decorate it with
candles. Meditating to candle light is
better than meditating by incandescent
light. The use of background music is highly
recommended. The musical group Zazen has
recorded several albums, which have been
specifically designed to help you meditate.
This music creates a strong buffer around
your subtle physical body, which facilitates
and empowers your concentration and
meditation practice. For more details,
please refer to the next section on music
and meditation.

All of these
things help you to elevate your
consciousness. You do not need a rug, or a
table, or candles to meditate, but all of
these things add to the ambiance.
Concentrating on beautiful things, like the
flowers, will help you to focus your energy.

Once you are
ready to meditate, get a clock or a watch so
you can time yourself. At the beginning, you
are going to meditate for fifteen minutes
twice a day. Once in the morning and once in
the evening after you come home from school
or work.

After you
have been meditating for about six months,
increase your meditation to half an hour
twice a day. After a year or two, increase
your time to forty-five minutes and finally
to one hour. It is not necessary to meditate
for more than two hours a day; at that
point, you should work on increasing the
quality of your meditations, not the
quantity.

When you
begin to meditate, sit in a chair or
cross-legged on the floor, but be sure your
back is straight. It is better to sit in a
cross-legged position, but it may be
uncomfortable for you. If you would like to
be able to do this, it is suggested that you
take a yoga class and learn how to stretch
and loosen up the leg muscles.

Now, close
your eyes and repeat OM four to seven times.
Chanting OM before you start to meditate
helps you to activate your psychic
consciousness. When you chant OM, make sure
to elongate the M at the end. Take your time
to chant OM, don’t do it too quickly; take
at least five seconds to do it. OM is an
ancient sound that invokes the creative
forces of the Universe. OM means perfection.
Chanting OM symbolizes your quest for
perfection and success. After chanting OM,
open your eyes and practice concentration.

The first
five minutes of your meditation should be
spent on concentrating with your eyes open.
Place a candle or a yantra on top of the
meditation table at eye level or a little
bit above. A yantra is a geometrical figure
made from linear elements intended to
represent, in a synthetic form, the energies
of the natural world.

The Sri
Yantra represents the creative force of the
Universe.

Yantras are
believed to be the natural or true ideograms
from which writing is derived. Yantras are
the necessary basis for all attempts at
symbolic representation of sacred forms,
images, sacred architecture, altars,
temples, and ritual gestures. After you have
been concentrating on the yantra for several
minutes, you will notice that the lines
inside the yantra appear to move. This is
not simply eye fatigue. You are actually
learning to see into another plane of
awareness.

After you
have been concentrating for five minutes,
close your eyes and listen to the stillness
of eternity. When you are meditating, you
are trying to still your thoughts. This is
done is in two different steps.

The first
step is to ignore your thoughts, and to
realize that you are not your thoughts, but
in reality, you are only listening to your
thoughts. Thoughts are like birds. They fly
by, and then they are gone. Your mind is
like the sky. Birds travel through the sky,
but the sky remains there after the birds
are gone. We are the sky. Thoughts are birds
that come and go. You can enjoy looking at
the birds if they are beautiful, but it is
the sky that endures. If the birds squawk,
we cannot hear the stillness of the sky. If
the birds are angry and self-destructive, we
have a terrible problem. So we are learning
to see that we are not our thoughts.

The second
step is to begin to eliminate negative
thoughts. In other words, do not let the
angry birds into your house. If a pretty
bird comes, then that’s okay. How do you
keep the birds away? You do it by
concentrating on the chakras while you are
meditating. A chakra is an energy center
that exists within the subtle physical body
- the body of energy. In the practice of
meditation, we learn that we have a physical
body and a body of energy. The body of
energy contains your aura, which is a
protective shield of energy that surrounds
your body. This is like an energy immune
system that protects you from the energy of
other people.

Chakras are
circles of energy where energy lines connect
within the body. These energy points, also
called meridians, are used in acupuncture to
stimulate the body’s energy flow. According
to the famous Taoist Master Mantak Chia,
“Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are based
on a person’s ability to maintain the proper
circulation of the bioelectric energy
throughout the body.” This energy is what
the Chinese call chi, and it can be stored
and generated by concentration on the
chakras. The subtle physical body, or the
body of energy, is not perceptible to most
individuals. However, it is visible with the
help of Kirlian photography.

Chakra
Meditation as taught by Rama - Dr. Frederick
Lenz is the well-known practice of
concentration on the three main energy
centers - the navel, the heart, and the
third eye. Following this practice will
transform an individual into a very
powerful, balanced, and wise human being.
Some people might argue that there are
actually seven main chakras or energy
centers in the body. In reality, there are
many more. There are hundreds of energy
centers, chakras, or meridians surrounding
the body. But if you focus on those three
main points, that practice will generate
enough energy to nurture and open all the
other centers in a more balanced and
harmonious way.

In one of his
books, Mantak Chia said, “After considerable
practice, you will be able to open the
higher energy centers called tan-tien by the
Chinese. According to Taoism, one of these
reservoirs exists at the level of the navel,
another at the heart, and the third in your
head towards your forehead.” In the same
book, Michael Winn explains, “While in
actual fact the entire body is one large
interconnected tan-tien, or field of energy,
it is easiest to try to open each center
sequentially. You must open the first three
centers first to provide a strong platform
for the other ones.”

Chakra
meditation is based on the ancient practice
of Kundalini Yoga. According to this Tantric
philosophy, Kundalini is the energy that is
dormant at the bottom of the spine. Through
the practice of meditation and
concentration, this energy can be awakened.
Once it’s awake, the energy rises through
the six energy centers located along the
spine, until it reaches the seventh center
at the top of the head. Each center
represents a doorway to power. As Kundalini
passes through each chakra, different states
of consciousness are experienced.

The Seven
Chakras and Passage Ways

Each chakra
corresponds to a nerve center located in the
center of the sushumna - the central nerve
channel in the spinal column. The Sahasrara,
the seventh chakra, is located at the top of
the head. It also called the crown chakra,
or the thousand-petal lotus of light. It is
the supreme seat of consciousness in the
body. The Ajna chakra, or third eye, is
located in the center of the forehead. It is
the center for wisdom and psychic seeing.
The Vishuddha, or throat chakra, is located
at the base of the throat. It is the center
of creativity. The Anahata, or heart chakra,
is located in the center of the chest. It is
the center of balance and harmony. The
Manipura, or navel center, is located about
an inch below the navel. It is the center of
willpower and energy. The Svadhishthana is
located in the center of the pelvic region.
It is the center of sexual energy. Finally,
the Muladhara, or root chakra, is located at
the base of the spine. It is the seat of the
Kundalini energy.

While
concentrating on all of the energy centers
can be very productive, it is also very time
consuming. If instead, you concentrate your
practice on the navel, the heart, and the
third eye; your practice will be more
efficient. Mastering the concentration on
the three main centers will help you to gain
power over the physical world, to gain
happiness and balance, to be able to see
opportunities, and to become wiser.

The chakra
around the navel area is the power center;
and as you focus on this center, you will
develop tremendous willpower. The heart
chakra, which is located at the center of
the chest, develops psychic abilities, and
sensitivities; it also brings about a
tremendous stillness within the mind and
develops the ability to experience love,
beauty, and balance. The wisdom chakra,
which is found slightly above the eyebrows,
develops your intuitive wisdom, and
knowledge, and gives you the ability to see
life in different ways. The wisdom chakra
will help you develop a greater vision for
your life.

The first
time you meditate, you might want to touch
one of these spots for a minute or two. Hold
your fingers very lightly against your
energy centers. As you press very gently
there, it will be easier for you to focus.
These are not random spots, there are
windows here - windows that lead into other
levels of the mind. Each will generate a
different type of experience. The
combination of power, heart, and wisdom
creates a balanced individual. That is why
it is suggested that you focus on each of
these centers.

Spend five
minutes concentrating on the navel center.
Take a deep breath and move the energy from
the navel center up to the heart center.
After five minutes, take another deep
breath, and move the energy from the heart
center up to the third eye and hold your
attention there for the last five minutes.

When thoughts
come into your mind, just say “no” aloud.
Say it with willpower. You can think about
it in this way: when you get a thorn stuck
in your foot, you can use another thorn to
get it out, and then throw both of them
away. Here we are using one thought to
eliminate the other one.

At the end of
a session, we always bow down to the ground
- that is our way of giving the meditation
to Eternity, of letting go of it, letting go
of ourselves. Finally, remain quiet for a
few minutes in order to absorb the energy
that you have generated during your
meditation.

Initially it
might not seem like you are doing anything,
and you may find yourself just thinking a
lot. But, as long as you are trying, you are
doing something. It’s like doing push-ups:
the more you practice, the stronger you
become. After you practice doing push-ups
for a while, you will begin to see a
difference. You will not see yourself with
big muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but
after you practice for a while, you will be
able to see and feel the difference.

It’s the same
with the practice of meditation: inwardly
your mind is becoming stronger and you are
gaining personal power. After a while, that
power will begin to manifest in your life.
You will find that it is easier to study or
to do your job. Your mind will be clear,
sharp, and defined. You are more aware. You
will feel better, and you will be more in
touch with everything in your life. As you
continue to practice, your knowledge and
power will increase.

In Secular
Meditation, the Dalai Lama states,
“Meditation is the instrument to transform
and shape our mind. Meditation should not be
considered a religious subject. Compassion,
love, forgiveness, spiritual harmony, sense
of brotherhood, all of those things are
religious subjects. Meditation is the
training of the mind. Meditation makes the
mind more alert. Concentrating on one point
in meditation helps you to develop your
analytical mind. Therefore, more success,
determination, self-confidence, and
willpower will come into your life.”

This is the
basic guide to meditation. If you follow
this program, you will find a tremendous
increase in your mental awareness. Most
people who do this see dramatic increases in
their level of personal power and success.
You will accrue more power and higher levels
of mind will start to open for you.

According to
Sri Sathya Sai Baba, “True meditation helps
us discover our inner identity. It enables
us to hear the divine voice in our heart,
which illuminates the path ahead. It allows
us to perceive and develop greater
qualities.”

While Rama –
Dr. Frederick Lenz was alive, he created a
number of music albums along with the group
Zazen to help you meditate. Three CDs in
particular are extremely helpful;
Enlightenment, Canyons of Light, and
Samadhi.

The
Enlightenment CD is used for morning
meditation Canyons of Light is used for
evening meditation, and Samadhi may be
used at any time. There are fifteen songs in
each album, and each song is about four
minutes long. Each of the fifteen songs was
composed around a dimension and they are in
ascending order.

The morning
CD offers an experience of fifteen different
dimensions of light that provide the energy,
insight and power to go out and have a
wonderful day. The evening meditation CD
references fifteen other dimensions that are
easy to get into at night.

If you listen
to this music while you are meditating, the
music will do two things. One, it will
provide an auric blanket. The energy in the
music is very high. Rama went into very high
planes of consciousness, into Samadhi, to
bring a certain power into the music as a
whole. When you listen to one of these
albums, the energy is so high that it will
block out the thoughts and impressions of
the people in this world. So it will be like
if you are meditating in a pristine
environment – in a beautiful power spot with
no impressions.

Secondly, all
the songs are in groups of five. There are
three groups of five songs in each album.
The songs reference particular chakras. The
first five songs in each album reference the
navel center, the next five the heart
chakra, and the last five reference the
third eye.

When you
start listening to the first five, hold you
attention in the navel area and listen to
the five songs. The navel chakra is located
about an inch below the navel. The navel
center and the two lower chakras are the
centers for power. By concentrating on the
navel center, the two other centers are
activated in a balanced way. Each song is
very different. They are designed in an
ascending order and reference different
planes of light, and you move from one to
another. You climb up the latter of light
just by listening to them.

When those
five songs have ended, move your attention
to the center of the chest. The heart chakra
is located in the center of the chest. Hold
you attention in the center of the chest and
listen to the next five songs. The heart
chakra and the throat chakra are the centers
for balance. If you concentrate on the heart
chakra, it will activate the throat chakra
as well. If you hold your attention there
for five songs, you will feel tremendous
happiness, brightness, and if you meditate
deeply your mind will become very still.

After you
have listened to the first ten, you will be
in a much higher plane of energy. Then, hold
your attention on the third eye. Your third
eye is located between your eyebrows and
slightly above. Your third eye is a center
of knowledge. The third eye and the crown
center at the top of the head are the
knowledge centers.

The three
meridians are power, balances – which is
happiness, and wisdom or wisdom. When you
bring all three together, you are complete.

The last five
songs reference the higher chakras. Simply
listen to them and keep your attention on
the third eye. When thoughts come in and out
of the mind, simply ignore them, and listen
to the music.

As you listen
to each song, you are bringing the kundalini
up through your concentration. The chakras
are doorways to different dimensions to
different planes of Enlightenment. As you
hold your attention on them, the kundalini
energy at the base of the spine will raise
first to the navel center, then to the heart
center, then to the third eye.

This type of
meditation practice will bring a tremendous
amount of beauty, energy, and brightness
into your life. Your mind will become clear.
Your life will be centered. You will be able
to access higher aspects of mind and smile.